At the Hop

A blog hop is kind of like a chain letter, only there are no bad-luck-until-you're-dead threats if you don't participate. So here I am, participating. You can check out my feature on The Borrowed Book and leave a comment to win a freebie of mine.

Or you can stay here and win a freebie from one of my authorly buddies.

Author Yvonne Anderson

Meet YVONNE ANDERSON. She started playing the writing game right around the same time I did, so we became instant bff's. Besides which, she's a snarky little gal and a heckuva crit partner. So grab yourself a cup o' joe, put up your feet, and meet Y. . .

1. What am I working on? 

A bag of pepperoni pizza flavored Combos.

Oh, you’re talking about writing projects? In that case, the 4th and final title in the Gateway to Gannah series is in the process of being edited, and I plan to publish it in October. Meanwhile, my newest brainchild, still in its infancy, is a short nonfiction piece that describes the handling of venison from the field to the table entitled A Deer in the Dining Room: A Hillbilly’s Guide to DIY Bambi Butchering. I also have a new speculative novel gestating.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

My sci-fi is light on “sci” and heavy on “fi,” but that’s no great distinction, as the same is true for much of the genre. My stories tend to be different simply because I don’t read a lot of sci-fi, so I’m not influenced by other stories I’ve read. Or seen. Because I watch even less sci-fi than I read. Once I realized I was a sci-fi writer, I started reading more of it to get a better feel for the genre. But I still doubt you’ll find my Gannah series derivative of anything else.

3. Why do I write what I do?

Short answer? It was an accident. But once I stumbled into it, I realized I’d found my niche.

4. How does my writing process work?

Depends on the story. Sometimes a character invades my mind, crying to be developed. Sometimes a situation begs to be explored. The Gateway to Gannah series began with a concept introduced to me by a little nonfiction book I read some years back, The Gospel in the Stars. It put forth the theory that when God created the heavens and the earth, He placed the stars in constellations that told the gospel message for early man to “read.” I found the idea intriguing, so I wrote a tale in which the characters discovered this “story in the stars.”

Whatever I write, I let it incubate in my mind for a while. Sometimes years. I get to know the characters, play out the action in my mind, and mentally clamber about the setting to become familiar with it. Then, armed with only a beginning, an ending, and two or three major events along the way, I dive in.

I ran into a little trouble with that method partway through The Story in the Stars. It became apparent that too many things had to happen before I could get to the end I’d first envisioned, so I was forced to settle on a different stopping point. Also, I’d discovered so many fun things about the planet Gannah that it wouldn’t all fit in one book. So I wrote sequel in the hope of wrapping it up, but I still couldn’t get to the end I’d had in mind. It took a total of four books, but I did get there eventually.

When I finally quit procrastinating and embark on the writing process, I work slowly. Laboriously. Agonizingly. Sometimes I think I won’t survive the travail. In fact, I’ve been told that I groan audibly when I write.

Once I’m through with the first draft, I’ll go back in and initiate a bloodletting: I file away burrs, spark life into comatose verbiage, and cut off all the dead wood I see. Then I’ll run the chapters past my crit partners—who will inevitably suggest cutting some more. More agony. All in all, my writing process is excruciating. I love this job.

Here's a blurb from Yvonne's latest and greatest, RANSOM IN THE ROCK. . .

How much is a life worth? And who will pay the price? 

Fifteen-year-old Lileela returns from the planet Karkar, frothing with bitterness over what she perceives as abandonment by her parents. Why do they want her back now? And why does Karkar demand such a huge payment for delivering her? Neither she nor her family suspects that Karkar’s true motive is revenge. The tiny New Gannahan settlement has no hope of repelling an invasion – no hope, that is, except for One the Karkar can’t see.

Don't let the sci-fi cover freak you out. This is a great story, plus Yvonne's snark is large and in charge throughout the tale. I loved it.

And you can too! Anyone who leaves a comment this week will be entered to win a copy of any one of her four books.

You can keep up with Y's adventures on her blog, Y's Words.